Some low-cost schools perform better

Jan. 13, 2008

Stacey Blau presides over a meeting of the Eastchester schools Parent Teacher Association Council at Eastchester High School. Blau is president of the council. "From the elementary to the high school, parents are happy with the opportunities afforded to their children," Blau said. / Tom Nycz/The Journal News

Written by

Diana Costello

The Journal News

A double handful of school districts in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties stand out because they performed as well as - or better than -others that have higher property taxes or housing prices.

One of the starkest contrasts was between the Bronxville and Eastchester districts in Westchester.

Bronxville topped A Data User's Guide with an average annual residential property-tax bill of $17,274, which is more than $12,000 higher than the $5,237 average tax bill in Eastchester.

Meanwhile, Eastchester passed 90.2 percent of its students on state tests compared with Bronxville's rate of 89.9 percent to 93.3 percent. Bronxville's exact pass rate cannot be calculated because the district uses both the Regents English exam and the English Advanced Placement exam to meet state testing requirements, but the state did not include AP scores when reporting its performance levels.

Tax and test data are from 2005-06, the most recent available.

"From the elementary to the high school, parents are happy with the opportunities afforded to their children," said Stacey Blau of Eastchester, mother of a high school senior and president of the PTA Council. "And the fact that it's costing us less as taxpayers is a bonus. Because as well as having children in the district, we're taxpayers as well. It's always nice to know you got a good investment."

In Putnam County, the district with the higher test scores and lower taxation also had a higher median home price.

In Haldane, 83.9 percent of students met or exceeded state standards compared with 81.4 percent in Putnam Valley.

The average residential property-tax bill in Haldane was $4,873 compared with $6,062 in Putnam Valley, and the median price of a home was $459,000 in Haldane and $387,000 in Putnam Valley.

Paul Lee, Putnam Valley assistant superintendent for business, said it could be "extremely misleading" to use averages when looking at tax bills and home prices.

"You really can't take the average at times because sometimes it could be skewed by just a few instances," he said. "We would have to drill into the details to find out exactly what went into it."

The biggest gap in 2005-06 in Rockland County was between North Rockland and East Ramapo.

Average tax bills were $4,217 in East Ramapo and $3,261 in North Rockland, where an assessment lawsuit hiked taxes the next year. The difference in student achievement was more pronounced: a POST score of 70.4 in North Rockland and 55.4 in East Ramapo.

Part of the difference involves demographics. In North Rockland, 22 percent of students were eligible for free lunch in the 2005-06 school year and about 50 percent were racial or ethnic minorities, compared with 46 percent eligible for free lunch in East Ramapo and 88 percent who were minority students.

East Ramapo is working to narrow the achievement gap with innovative programs such as one that gives struggling elementary-school students an extra year between grades to work on mastering basic skills before moving on.

"Every district has its own unique blessings, its own unique challenges," East Ramapo Superintendent Mitchell J. Schwartz said. "We have kids who are coming from a background of poverty, and we have an achievement gap before school even starts."